AGAINST ALL ODDS: The young of the world are solving their way out of the joblessness crisis
The latest unemployment numbers make for horrible reading for South Africa’s young people, but the One Young World Summit in Cape Town last week does provide some hope.
Against all odds, the world's youth are solving their way out of the joblessness crisis, according to the One Young World Summit in Cape Town. The latest unemployment numbers paint a grim picture for South Africa's young people, with 72.7% of those aged 15-24 without work. This is a significant increase from previous years, with graduate unemployment up by 1.4 percentage points and other tertiary unemployment jumping by 4.0 percentage points.
Despite the bleak outlook, the summit offers hope, challenging the traditional path of formal education as a reliable route to employment.
Tom Osborn, a One Young World ambassador and founder of Kenyan startup Shamiri, argues that the gap between economic survival and youth mental health is narrowing. He contends that the promise of social mobility through formal degrees has collapsed across Africa, causing stress and disillusionment among young people. Osborn suggests that innovation should not be measured solely in Western terms, but rather in how individuals hustle and find solutions in low-resource settings.
David Jones, co-founder of One Young World, emphasizes the power of digital and social capabilities among young people. He believes that this generation possesses unprecedented leverage, but warns that action, not hope, is the most powerful catalyst for change. Jones advocates for a new blueprint outside of formal Western education, with a focus on young people solving problems in their local communities.
David Jones believes that young people possess unprecedented leverage through digital and social capabilities, but warns that global rhetoric must translate into tangible execution and purpose-driven enterprise. Alistair Kennedy, head of youth development at Standard Bank, refutes the notion of youth entitlement, stating that young South African candidates exhibit extraordinary resilience. He argues that corporations must move beyond marks and focus on holistic problem-solving in the era of AI.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
